The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-13
GOTHAM'S WHITE SLAVES.
HUNDREDS OF THEN APPEAL FOR PUB-
Lie RELIEF EVERY YEAR

superintendent Blake, At the Omees ef the
Csu,r.iss,erers Of Charities and Cerrec-
ties, Tells the stsry or Their Dcststutier.
Poverty and destttution In all It's thousand
forms passes continually through the ofiiccs Of
the Commissioners OF Charities and Correction
on Third avenue. Hero. with the rest OF the
Increasing procession. come the city's sewing
women, when sickness or other unfortunate
circumstances make II impossible for Thorn
long to sustain life on tie combination OF
ceaselsss toll. starvation wages, and private
charity which 10 their steady industrial diet
Superintendent Blake. who attends to them
all. certainly can make. II any one can, an In
tolligont comparison OF their condition with
that OF the other destitute OF the city. Ysstor-
day he said to Sun reporter:
Honesty believe that the sowing women are
the poorest paid and tho hardest worked class
OF workers In this city. SEQ no reason to
doubt the correctness OF The Suns statement
that fifty cents day is their average wages
and fifteen hours their working day. There
seems to be no mercy for them. Why. actually.
never buy piece OF ready wear OF any
kind without sort OF guilty feeling. for l
know that II tenement house sewing woman
has had anything to do with making 1t. she has
probably been robbed and cheated to mako it
come cheap to mo.
II speak with knowledge OF this matter ior
WI have many Of these women coming here.
should say there were hundreds OF thcm every
year, and cvery one OF Thorn has pitiful tale
Of oyerwork and underway. They arc tho sad
dest-looking cases that como hcre. too. You
can toll them at a glance-pale. wan, and
starved looking. We give Thorn advice. en-
courage them to keep 1t up q little longer. send
them to charitable associations, and when
worse comes TO worst we senH them TO the
isIond n IN all we oan do The CITY does
not give ooa Sn or he sewing
as poorly Oh as ever. 1t is hard on those poor
Ss,ser to tell thsm that they must ehoose
between starvation and Biaekweirs Island:
but what 81 It to they oo
am not surprised at any 81 the facts given
Wo unn r sSs q should not 5. saFprseS
sven Lover wages and harder TGsfd were dis
o4, osns the% es
fhEs HE'S sus, and yet that Is what they pay some.
lail. Somebody must be making them for
The remedy Well. that is hard question.
tdont suppose there Is any. except to induce
ne 70 buy the stS tie maxi
they are paid for by the llyos OF the poor teno.
mont house women. The law cant, and
ouGhtnt to, prevent woman from working In
her own home. suppose 1t might break up .
good deal OF the worst class o. tenement house
work, the making up Of clothing By girls and
Board Of Health could do something there. /
great danger to public health. for there is no
better way In the world to spread CONTAGIOUS
disease than through clothing. II that class Of
tenement house work were abolished. think
it would do sonnet ming directly and good deal
indirectly 10 improve the condition OF the SOW
IT viii be q great work II THE Sun can do
anything to improve tho condition OF these
women. and 1t shall have all the help can give
It every time. Printing tho names OF the mon
who pay these wages Is good idea, perhaps,
sIally i %ust DO poor policy good bmaGy o.
Superintendent. Blake's good words for THE
Suns work are being echoed almost unani-
mously by the officers OF charitable institu-
lions and others, who by being brought into
contact with the sewing women know person
ally how well are merited The Suns attacks
upon tho pirates Of trade. who pile up their
gains from the fruits OF depredations upon the
helpless women. It is notable fact that only
one employer has protested Against TIE Suns
CHARGES. and he. upon investigstion. turned
himself victim Of the cutthroat competition
which. the siop-shop pirates hayo introduced
into the clothing business by throwing upon
tho market at beggerly prices the proceeds OF
their raids upon the helpless and other un-
fortunate women who are their prey.